


3AM

by singcanary



Series: Late Nights [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Logan and Roman are mentioned - Freeform, as is Thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 02:25:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19347634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singcanary/pseuds/singcanary
Summary: It's 3am in the mind palace, and two sides are still up.





	3AM

Patton was tired. There had been too much to do last night, what with Roman’s frustrated rant over another creative block and then Thomas reaching the finale of Parks & Recreation once again, and then it was just too late, he would have slept through breakfast if he let himself drift off and then who would have been there to make the coffee for everyone and to listen to Logan plan out the day? So, no, Patton hadn’t slept last night. He had taken a nap before dinner, though. He thought he might’ve passed out on someone otherwise, and he was, indeed, out like a light as soon as he laid down. But then he had to get dinner ready, and even by the time he was done putting away leftovers and doing the dishes, he wasn’t tired enough yet. Usually, he would have been more than ready to drift off after a bit of quiet reflection on the day, but Patton wasn’t just tired today, he was also sad. He couldn’t say why because everything had been going so well these last few days and even things like finishing Parks & Rec, even if for the millionth time, were never enough to keep him sad. But he was sad today. And avoiding it. On sad days, Patton could be found at any moment doing something, it doesn’t matter what, to avoid thinking about the feeling, to distract him. It was a tactic he learned years ago to keep himself fit as a fiddle for his kiddos. And even if he was tired, trying to fall asleep wasn’t something. So until he could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, Patton wouldn’t. If anyone asked, he would have told them he was still up because he wanted to make sure he was available if anyone needed anything, which wasn’t a complete lie… but it also wasn't the main reason. The main reason was that watching Friends reruns in the common room at three in the morning made it easier to not cry about nothing… mostly.

Virgil jolted up with a scream half-caught in his throat, scrambling to get himself out of the grasp of whatever was holding onto him, trying to strangle him and— oh. It was just his blankets. He was in his room, in his bed. He was safe. But his breathing was still far too fast and shallow, his head still spinning far too much, his eyes still too bleary— was he… he was definitely crying. He had had another nightmare. He couldn’t quite remember what had happened other than it felt both very real and very not good, leaving him now with a panic attack and a looming sense that something was wrong. Once his breathing was back to a level that couldn’t be called hyperventilation, which took about twenty minutes, Virgil had come to the realization that he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon. His awareness of himself had finally come back to him, and he was not in great shape. He was shaking slightly, even with calmer breathing, he hadn’t stopped crying just yet, and his throat felt hoarse, probably from screams only partially suppressed by sleep. With an unsteady hand, he wiped the tears that had accumulated on his chin and, with unsteady legs, got out of bed. If he wasn’t going to sleep, he was at least going to get something to drink.

Patton didn’t notice Virgil until he was already at the bottom of the stairs, and Virgil didn’t notice Patton until a second later. Their eyes met, and both froze.  
 _What is he gonna say? Am I going to have to talk about this? Can I even talk about this?_  
They just stared for a moment that seemed to go on forever. Then, they recognized the other’s expression as their own: fear and guilt and embarrassment rolled into one. Neither had said a word, but they both understood that they both needed someone as much as neither of them wanted to talk.   
Virgil’s eyes flicked momentarily toward the kitchen and Patton almost imperceptibly nodded. One kettle whistle, two mugs, and two tea bags later, Virgil had sat down next to Patton, closer than he usually would have. Now, their thighs would be touching slightly and their shoulders could be leaned into one another if they wanted— or needed. As Patton took his mug, they each properly took the other in. Patton saw a fear still etched between Virgil’s brows, the tear tracks in the bit of makeup he had left on, and the real, heavy bags below his eyes. Virgil noted how Patton’s eyes threatened to let the tears building up fall at any minute and how the dark circles under his eyes could rival his own. But neither said a word. Patton simply took the drink with a silent look of thanks, and offered a hand to his dark, strange, tired son. Virgil took it as it was, thankful for his caring, albeit exhausted, dad. They sat together until the sounds of Logan and Roman waking up signaled the start of a new day, not that that meant anything to either side on the couch. They sat there in silence, with mindless television and tea that grew too cold too fast, but with each other, and that helped enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually the first part of this series I wrote. Can you guess what dynamic is easiest for me to write? It really is easiest to have the emotions sides for a quiet emotion scene.


End file.
